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falibat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Abortion and Sexual harassment
its_van_vulpen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Miscarriage
Minor: Abortion
tbr_withmaya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Abortion, and Death of parent
maryshelleys's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Minor: Miscarriage, Car accident, and Abortion
annadelreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
“She was a woman, after all. Living in a world created by men. And she had long known that assholes protect their own. They are faithful to no one but surprisingly protective of each other.”
I actually gotten goosebumps after finishing the last three lines. I was trying to feel it out if this was a 5 stars book or not because it started a little bit slow for me - not because of the book but just because of me since this wasn't my type of book, but after awhile, when you get to know the characters and their stories, I was just instantly fascinated. I devoured it right after (in 2.5 days to be exact). Although it was not tagged as romance, there was romance here and there, but definitely not the focus - although I really thought the romance would be hitting hard but bruh June and Mick's really made me hope. I'm so glad as well that I read the 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo before reading this one as there were a lot of cameos from it. I love that she wasn't even mentioned in the book, it was pretty ironic. I only later realized that it was THE Mick Riva that was in the said book. Plus points because it's a third person POV and it's not focused on just one or two characters but all characters - yes, the four siblings and even including the side characters. That's one of my favorite things about this book because I saw all point of view of the party-goers.
10/10 would definitely recommend this book to people both non-romance and romance reader. It scared me at first but really, this book taught me multiple things at once. Nina deserves the world.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence and Abortion
karielizabeth's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Infidelity, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
dearbhlanoonan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Car accident, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Abortion
lekutches's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
finn_vibing's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Abortion
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: May 27, 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Addictive • Evocative • Entertaining
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Malibu: August 1983. It's the day of Nina Riva's annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over--especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.
The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud--because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he's been inseparable since birth. Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can't stop thinking about promised she'll be there. And Kit has a couple secrets of her own--including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.
By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family's generations will all come rising to the surface.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I deliberately chose to take Malibu Rising on my recent trip to Los Angeles and I couldn't have picked a better time to pick it up. Being in the California sun, with the gentle ocean breeze, and being close to some of the places talked about throughout the book really offered something extra to my reading experience.
The dysfunctional family dynamics of the Riva siblings felt believable, their relationships seemed genuine, and their flawed character development was fantastic. Nina was my favourite character - her arc is the one I gravitated towards most. Her selfless nature felt entirely relatable and my heart just went out to her.
Even though the entirety of this book takes places over the span on 24 hours, the bulk of it takes place in Malibu during the 1980s. While the party timeline could feel a bit distracting, I understand it was necessary and feel as though TJR has crafted them together perfectly. The main issue I had was with the amount of characters I needed to keep track of at the party. I didn't really care, and wanted more depth about the Rivas. The setting itself added an element of glitz and glamour, and the TJR describes the area with ease.
Overall, Malibu Rising is another enjoyable story, mixing historical fiction with family drama, that I would highly recommend. The audio narration by Julia Whalen is fabulous. And what I love so much about TJR's stories is how each one is so unique. While this one wasn't my absolute favourite, I still cannot wait to keep exploring her backlist and seeing what she writes next.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• anyone looking for beachy summertime vibes
• TJR devotees
• historical fiction readers looking for something different
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Our family histories are simply stories. They are myths we create about the people who came before us, in order to make sense of ourselves."
"She had to choose what, of the things she inherited from the people who came before her, she wanted to bring forward. And what, of the past, she wanted to leave behind."
"She knew that she could not sustain her life fueled only by the memories of those she once loved. Loss would not propel her forward. She had to go out and live. She had to find new people."
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cursing, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Car accident, Abortion, and Gaslighting